Focus on Research

Study of mice shows peptide may be effective

A novel peptide derived from a molecule found in human saliva may be effective in treating a fungal infection, researchers in the School of Dental Medicine have found.

The peptide, labeled MUC7 16-mer, has shown the capacity to kill strains of fungi in vitro that are resistant to most current antifungal treatments, making it a potential candidate for a new fungicide. The current study represents the first use of the peptide against a fungal pathogen in an animal model.

The study, conducted by Giuseppe Intini, a doctoral student in the Department of Oral Biology, involved mice infected with vaginal candidiasis, a fungal infection caused by the organism C. albicans. Libuse Bobek, associate professor at the Department of Oral Biology, supervised the research.

Three groups of three mice each were treated with the MUC7 16-mer peptide, Clotrimazole (the active ingredient in current antifungal medications) or placebo, respectively.

Intini's results showed that after seven days, the peptide preparation had killed the infection in two of three mice. All mice in the Clotrimazole group were infection-free, while all mice in the placebo group still had vaginal candidiasis. However, Intini was not able to confirm these results by a second more comprehensive study, conducted later.

"The search for a suitable and efficient delivery system for this peptide, as well as a more reliable animal model for testing the efficacy of these new antifungal medications, is still on-going," he noted.

Fungal pathogens are responsible for many infections, most of which occur in people with weakened immune systems, such as organ transplant and chemotherapy patients, as well as persons with AIDS.

"With the longer life expectancy for immunocompromised patients, such infections recently became of great medical relevance, and treatments for these infections assume an important role in terms of quality of life," said Bobek. "This is why we are committed to this research."

Additional researchers on the study were Alfredo Aguirre, associate professor of oral diagnostic sciences, and Alex Ho, statistician in the Department of Oral Biology.

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.